Saturday, July 31, 2010

Last years winner of the Heisman trophy, Mark Ingram of Alabama, came out of nowhere to take the title as his team also took the National Championship. Prior to 2007 no sophomore had ever won the Heisman trophy. The interesting trend now is that the last three winners have all been sophomores (Ingram, Sam Bradford in 2008 and Tim Tebow in 2007). The trend has also been against repeat winners. Not since Archie Griffin in 1975 has a player won back-to-back Heisman trophies, and he's the only one to ever win the trophy twice.

Six of us here at College Football Zealots put our heads together and via super secret ballot (which I will reveal in this very piece) came up with a list of players we thought had the best shot to take the Heisman this year. After our secret ballots were tallied using a highly complex point system we ended up with a 3-way tie for our pre-season Heisman prediction. What that tells me is that it's going to be a wide-open race. The Heisman process has it's voters pick the Top 3 but we go went with a different approach and chose a Top 5. Here are our top 12 candidates (in order of votes received) and some honorable mentions.

Alex: I see the Heisman race as not having a clear favorite. Last year we knew who the top three were, however Ingram bulldozed his way into the picture taking the award from the QB favorites. I am picking him at #1 to pull off what only one other player has done. If Ingram can win two in a row he will become a true legend in Tuscaloosa.

Chris: Most would see a player returning from a Heisman season as the prohibitive favorite, but I see differently. A year removed from starting his first game, Greg McElroy will play a larger role in the offense, and a rebuilt defense will mean less time on the field. But the real reason he will not win it again over everything else is his competition. He is the second best back on his team. I know it sounds funny to say that about a Heisman winner, but it is the absolute truth. Trent Richardson is going to make somebody VERY happy in the NFL, and while I'm not saying he becomes Alabama's feature back, Nick Saban sees exactly what I do and will maximize the opportunity to get the ball in Richardson's hands. Plus, is this the year Julio Jones finally takes off!?

Chris: Moore has just as much of a right as anybody to be mentioned in this group, and perhaps even more so as he is the nation's most efficient QB. He will be leading a Boise State team that is as good as any, but like Case Keenum, he is facing an uphill battle as a little bit of a system QB along with the small-school stigma that will surely play a part. But, if Boise should go undefeated again, especially if they make a NC game appearance, expect Moore to finish in the top-2. Again, I don't know how he projects to the next level (some say he may be the next Chad Pennington for his lack of a deep ball), but if he is the best college player, it should be his.

Ross: His competition (or lack thereof) is going to be a problem, but if he looks good against Virginia Tech in Week 1, he'll have a shot. He's going to be a heavily hyped guy on a top-ranked team -- and that never hurts for the Heisman.

Kevin: The two tests in the first three games (Virginia Tech and Oregon State) for Boise State will be Moore's chance to make a statement. Even if Boise State losses to VT, which I am leaning towards, if Moore has a good showing against a top tier defense like the Hokies he will have a legitimate shot. In order for Moore to win this award the Broncos have to be a top 5 team at the end of the year and I think win or lose to VT that is a real possibility. Last year Moore threw 39 TD and only 3 INT, he's 26-1 as a starting QB. As Phil Steele said in his preview "if he put up those stats in a BCS league, he would likely already be a two-time Heisman winner." Another reason I like Moore is that Boise returns 10 offensive starters so they should pick up right where they left off last year. Right now I like Moore as much as anybody for the Heisman and I see his winning as Boise's consolation to not playing in the National Championship this year.

Chris: If Keenum doesn't win it, it won't be because he's not the most deserving. The trend is to shy away from system QB's like those at Texas Tech or now Keenum in Houston because previous system QB Heisman winners (like Ty Detmer and former Houston Cougar Andre Ware) were unsuccessful in the pros. Keenum is likely to put up the best stat-line in the nation, and now it can't be argued that he is being overlooked (though I don't think that was a legitimate argument last year anyway). If he even matches last year's phenomenal production, including his 70% completion percentage, I think you HAVE to give it to the guy. He may not play on the best team or play in the hardest conference, and in my personal opinion, he may be a pro bust. But, at the end of the day, the Heisman Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the BEST player in college football, right!? And next year, Case Keenum is that guy.

Kevin: Lewis burst on the scene as a freshman last year with 1,799 yards and 17 TD. If he can get the same production (or near that) with people already knowing who he is then he is going to be hard to beat this year. I think the key is how good can Pittsburgh be? If they finish Top 15 then I think he's got a legitimate chance but if they can't keep up with the competitive Big East then Dion's Heisman chances will be very slim.

Chris: Lewis is a guy who flourished as a freshman against inferior competition, and I'd expect to see him do the same against about the same competition again this year. I think Lewis is vastly overrated compared to his freshman counterparts of a season ago in LaMichael James and Ryan Williams because he didn't face many great or even good defenses, but I will cut him a little slack. With an inexperienced QB at the helm I'd expect Lewis to get even more of the workload.

#6 (tie) Jake Locker, Washington, QB, Sr

10 points; 1 3rd place vote (Jason), 2 5th place votes (Alex, Ross)

Ross: At least one of these much-hyped quarterbacks (Jake Locker, Washington/Landry Jones, Oklahoma/Garrett Gilbert, Texas/John Brantley, Florida) is going to put up a boatload of stats and force his way into the conversation. I just don't know who it will be.

#6 (tie) LaMichael James, Oregon, RB, Soph

10 points; 1 3rd place vote (Chris), 1 4th place vote (Ross)

Ross: If Oregon is good again this year and James has a strong year, he could sneak into consideration.

Chris: No more sharing carries with every Boise State fan's favorite guy LaGarrette Blount, and no more Jeremiah Massoli at quarterback means James is the onus of the offense this year. Oregon will drop off considerably from a year ago, but James will at least keep them competitive, and he is likely to produce a stellar stat-line along the way. Should Oregon have a .500 or worse record though, James' name won't be announced in NY.

Kevin: Last year Devine rushed for over 1400 yards and did so at 6 yards per carry. He is also a threat catching the ball out of the backfield although he has not put up huge numbers in that regard, yet. West Virginia will be breaking in a new QB this year (see also: Alabama last year) and that means that Devine will be more of a focal point for the offense this year and he will likely get the ball in a variety of ways. There is just a gut feeling that I have that West Virginia could be better than people think this year and that Noel Devine is going to put up some big stats.

Kevin: As a Georgia fan it's hard for me to list a Georgia Tech guy but I just feel that he's going to have a big season. Paul Johnson has a commitment to the run game and because of that Nesbitt is going to get a huge amount of touches. Last year, as a QB, Nesbitt rushed for 1037 yards and 18 TD. He also passed for 1700 yards and 10 TD. Nesbitt is the most valuable player on his team and I think a good argument could be made that he's the most valuable player (to his team) in the Nation. Although Nesbitt doesn't throw the ball much he did put up a 148.7 QB rating which was good enough to place in the Top 15 (higher than Colt McCoy, Andrew Luck, Jacory Harris, Landry Jones, Jake Locker, Jeremiah Masoli, and Jerrod Johnson among others).

One of the things I like most about having this blog is that I get to look at a lot of things from different perspectives. We have now done Pre-Season Previews for 70 different teams (with more to come), we have conducted interviews with former college football players (Rob Harley and Michael Felder) and we have fans blogging independently about their teams here at the site. I was recently approached about a link exchange with BCS Know How. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to learn more about how the BCS works and get another perspective going into this college football season. BCS Know How is a website that explains the BCS on a week-to-week basis as well as provides much more information and analysis. We had a chance to bounce some questions off of the editor of BCS Know How, Asher Feldman, and here is the result:

Can you give us a quick explanation on how the BCS works?

The BCS utilizes three elements – two human polls (Harris Interactive and Coaches) and the six computer ratings taken as one element.

The BCS calculates a “perfect score” for each element – for the two human polls the maximum total points a team could receive from the poll (if they received all of the polls’ first place votes) and for the computers if the team received four of six first place votes.

The points the team receives in each of the human polls is divided by the perfect score to reach a decimal. For the computers, all six ratings are taken, with the highest and lowest ratings thrown out, leaving four behind. Like in the human elements, a first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote worth 24, and so on until one point is awarded for a 25th place vote. The four point values are added and divided by 100 (the score for four first-place votes).

These three are averaged together and result in a decimal BCS score between .000 and 1.000.

In your opinion, what could be done to make the BCS formula better?

The major problem in my opinion with the BCS formula is the presence of preseason polls. The formula itself seems pretty sound to me, but I believe a fairer and more representative ranking system would emerge if no polls were allowed until the fourth or fifth week of the season. This would allow for less reliance on your earlier polls to fill out your ballot as the season progressed. Other than that, I find the formula to be a pretty strong one.

Are there any conferences or teams that you feel the BCS favors?

Absolutely. Because of the set up of some of the conferences, those that feature conference championship games are often times favored by the set up of the BCS. Any conference that has 12 teams is allowed a conference championship game, and simply by the nature of a championship game, teams in those conferences have an extra chance to play another high-quality opponent.

Teams in the SEC, Big 12 and ACC all prosper from the boost that they get in both the computers and in the minds of the human voters from playing high quality opponents on the last weekend of the season. We saw the proof last season, when the SEC and Big 12 champions were seemingly destined for a meeting in the BCS national championship game before the season even started.

It’s also likely that the rules that allow for conference championship games were behind the recent conference expansion push, with conferences like the Big 10 and Pac-10 looking for that extra boost for their member teams.

At your site you are predicting the conference and you have Virginia Tech taking the ACC over FSU, Ohio State winning the Big 10 and Oklahoma beating Nebraska for the Big 12 title. Are there any other teams in those 3 conference could you see making a run at the BCS Title game this year?

A team I wouldn’t overlook is Wisconsin. Not only do the Badgers return much of the core that nearly tied for second in the conference last season, but the schedule is extremely favorable, as the Badgers will welcome Ohio State, Minnesota and Northwestern to Camp Randall. Their biggest test of the season will likely come on a trip to Iowa. Watch for running back John Clay to be the key to the Badgers offense, and a possible Heisman candidate if the Badgers reach their full potential. Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema may finally have a team to break through to the BCS this year.

Boise State has a strong chance this year to make it to the BCS Title game if they can go undefeated. What type of things need to align correctly for a non-BCS school like Boise State to get to the title game?

It’s become clear to voters and analysts alike that there is enough talent in the non-BCS conferences to warrant BCS bids. However, its been a struggle to get those teams near a BCS national title game bid, as neither TCU nor Boise State – with undefeated records last season – were able to crack the top three in the final standings.

This year, however, things might be different.

The key is that Boise State is highly touted coming into the season as opposed to previous seasons where the Broncos had to climb the rankings just to get to a BCS bowl game. The Broncos will get the love they need from the computers, what they need to do is be convincing and dominant for the human voters, and have a couple of things fall their way around them in the rankings.

A season like 2007, where underdogs caused a BCS meltdown and fluidity that had been unseen till that point would be ideal for Boise State. In ‘07, South Florida, Boston College, West Virginia, Missouri and Kansas – all of whom were never considered national title threats – were in position at some point or another to make the championship game. There’s no reason the Broncos or a team like TCU or Houston can’t make it happen this year if the national powers start falling.

On your site you also do a "Heisman Watch". Who are your top 3 guys going into this year that you think can win the award and who are some darkhorse candidates that you think could emerge?

Last season may have been the most open Heisman race in the BCS era. In total, I named 13 different candidates among the top five and was unsure of the winner until the very last week, when Mark Ingram did just enough to clinch the trophy. This season might be more of the same.

The frontrunners at this early stage, at least as far as I see it are Alabama running back and defending Heisman recipient Mark Ingram, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis. All three are key to BCS conference title contenders’ hopes and can all easily win the trophy.

Along with some familiar names that could become Heisman finalists like Jake Locker and Ryan Mallet, players like Houston quarterback Case Keenum, Boise State QB Kellen Moore and Stanford QB Andrew Luck could make some unexpected noise.

Which do you prefer, the BCS or a playoff?

I’ve always said I think the BCS formula is a solid way to evaluate teams, just the system it feeds into is convoluted and short-sighted. I would prefer a playoff system that ranks according to the BCS formula.

A system that I think would create the most opportunity would be a six-team playoff, much like one half of the NFL playoffs, with the top two teams getting first-round byes, and the other four playing games No 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5 – lowest remaining seed takes on No. 1. Last season that would have given both TCU and Boise State a shot at Florida, Alabama, Texas and Cincinnati.

The system would still make the regular season very important as none of those teams lost more than once, while keeping spots open for teams from non-BCS conferences. No auto bids here, just prove your way into a chance at the title.

Thanks to Asher and BCS Know How for taking some time out of their schedule and talking college football with us. Make sure to visit their website and follow them on twitter @bcsknowhow.

Last year Oklahoma State opened up their season with a Dez Bryant led win over Georgia. The celebration was short lived as they dropped their next game to Houston and then shortly after that Dez Bryant was ruled ineligible. Despite losing their best player the Cowboys still managed to beat every other Big 12 opponent they played outside of Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma State accepted a bid to the Cotton Bowl but lost to Ole Miss in a disappointing outing 21-7. 2009 was supposed to be a coming out party for Oklahoma State but they finished just outside the Top 25 at 9-4 and now are wondering whether they can re-load or will have to re-build. Oklahoma State has the fewest returning starters in the Big 12 and lost 6 of their top 7 tacklers off of their defense. Like we did with our Auburn and Notre Dame previews we sought out a fans perspective on the Cowboys. We turned to a frequent Scout.com message board contributor at the Oklahoma State site GoPokes.com (Scott refers to himself as the "sunshine pumper" of GoPokes.com) to learn more about the 2010 Cowboys. Here is an intro from Scott, a run-down of the first part of the schedule and then some Q&A:

Intro

From my perspective. We have a lot of talent on offense and I think the new style of offense will be humming right along once conference season comes along. Biggest questions on offense are the Oline (replacing all but 1 starter) and receiver. Oklahoma State's biggest issue last year was our receivers getting off blocks. They struggled with that and without Dez drawing the double coverage it showed. That said we have depth at receiver, it is just young. But that gives guys an opportunity to step up.

Defensively, Im really excited about this years team. Yes we lost our linebackers but having Orie Lemon returning from his knee injury should give us good leadership at the linebacker position for the young studs we have signed. I look for our Dline to be improved in Bill Youngs second year as DC. Biggest question mark on defense is secondary where we are thin on depth. That is the one place we cant afford an injury.

Special Teams should be special again. Joe Deforest is a great Special teams coach and this is probably the most talent Oklahoma State has had on campus. It is just unproven.

I think the schedule sets up nicely for Oklahoma State to build momentum. With the lack of belief in OSU from the preseason magazines, as an OSU fan Im hoping opponents take us lightly too.

Schedule Breakdown

Washington State should be improved. This is their 3rd year under their coach. We made great strides in Gundy's 3rd year. They are from the Pac 10 which is a good conference.

Troy is always a good team. They get a lot of talent and they beat us a few years ago.

Tulsa is a scary team. They weren't up to their standards last year because they were young but they are getting a lot of great pub and rightly so. Todd Graham is a very good coach and returns a lot of talent. Plus it's an instate game. Tulsa went into Norman a few years ago and scared a highly ranked Oklahoma team. They wont be scared coming into Stillwater.

Texas A&M is expected to be very good this year and some think could challenge OU and UT for the South. Im glad this game is in Stillwater and Im glad OSU has a week to prepare for it. A&M and OSU always play exciting games.

@ Louisiana This game scares me more than any game of the first five. OSU has seemed to lose one game each season the last few years they shouldnt. This is a Friday night game in Louisiana. KSU lost there last year and it's the first road game with this new team. Plus OSU could be coming off a huge win over a possibly ranked A&M team. This is a classic trap game.

Q&A

What team on the schedule do you want to beat the most?

I think it would have to be OU or Texas. And it is simply because those are the only two teams Gundy hasnt beaten as HC. I really feel OSU has put themselves in a position to be in 3rd behind those two for the future, especially with the new conference. I think we have passed A&M and I think Tech is going to miss Mike Leach more than they realize. The North lost it's strongest team (Nebraska) and I dont see any of those teams competing in the future.

@ Texas Tech would be a close third because OSU has not won in Lubbock since the inception of the Big 12.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

Tough to say but I would guess it would be one of the young receivers who will flourish in the new offense. I cant give you one name because I think a lot of that will sort itself out during August. But look for a redshirt freshman to make a major statement at WR this year.

Who are the top newcomers that can make an impact this year?

Would have to be the linebackers. There is a strong possiblity that Shaun Lewis, Caleb Lavey, and Kris Catlin could all see significant time at LB this year. Also thind Devin Hedgepeth who came in January will have to play big at DB for OSU to be successful.

Gut feeling on the teams final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?
It's all about the start. If this inexperienced team can gain some confidence, which I think they will, I think OSU will win 9 games this year. I think OSU beats OU or UT this year. And I feel like OSU has a legit shot at beating Tech in Lubbock. 8 wins would be success in my opinion. All of this barring injury.

Taking Oklahoma State out of the equation, who do you see winning the Big 12 this year?

Would have to go with the winner of the Red River Rivalry. Until someone beats OU or UT and wins a south championship they should be the favorites. I know a lot of people are big on A&M being a sleeper but I just dont think Sherman is the answer. If they lose their QB they are in trouble. OSU saw what losing key players can do to a season last year. Only UT and OU can sustain injuries and still win the title and not even OU could do that last year.

Kansas started off the 2009 season by winning 5 straight games. After that they took a severe nose dive and lost their last 7 games (3 of which were within 7 pts- Colorado 34-30, Kansas State 17-10 and Missouri 41-39). This year Kansas has a tougher non-conference schedule as Duke is replaced by Georgia Tech but they miss both Oklahoma and Texas on the in-conference slate. We reached out to Scout.com's Kansas Jayhawks site Phog.net and spoke with Senior Writer Aaron Cedeño about the 2010 Kansas season. Here is the preview that he wrote for us:

Fans of Kansas Jayhawk football learned many lessons in 2009, but perhaps the most important was this: One can never take success for granted. The season began full of promise, thanks largely to the return of senior stars Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier and Jake Sharp, as well as junior Dezmon Briscoe. Despite lingering concerns about the strength of the defense, many among Jayhawk Nation believed last year's team capable of simply outscoring the majority of opponents on the schedule. A Big 12 North title and a spot in the conference championship game seemed well within reach.

But a handful of injuries, a porous defense and one highly-publicized coaching controversy later, and the Jayhawks stumbled home to a 5-7 record on the back of seven straight losses. The Orange Bowl victory of 2007 had never seemed a more distant memory.

However, with each year comes a fresh chance at success, and perhaps nowhere is that more true for the coming season than in Lawrence, Kan.

Gone are Briscoe, Meier, Reesing, Sharp and standout safety Darrell Stuckey, as well as embattled former Head Coach Mark Mangino. In is Turner Gill, fresh off his resurrection of the football program at the University of Buffalo, and one of the most experienced and exciting coaching staffs in the Big 12.

Not knowing the exact nature of the schemes to be employed by offensive coordinator Chuck Long and defensive coordinator Carl Torbush – not to mention the outcome of several personnel battles carrying over from spring football – it is difficult to predict what lies in store for Kansas football in the months ahead.

Here's what we know so far:

Offense

Asking an inexperienced signal caller to replace Reesing's production would be impossible. Fortunately, that's not what the new coaching staff needs out of their quarterback. With an offense geared more toward the running game – Gill stated in the spring that his ideal offense would run the ball 60-percent of the time – whomever wins the starting job will have the luxury of relying on what should be a strong running attack. The Jayhawks return freshman sensation Toben Opurum, talented sixth-year senior Angus Quigley, and a pair of dynamic freshmen – James Sims and Brandon Bourbon. In addition to an experienced and talented front five, all signs point to a running game capable of giving QB1 the ability to ease into his role as the starter.

The wide receivers are a talented and deep group, led by senior Johnathan Wilson, junior speedster Daymond Patterson and a host of big, fast, sure-handed targets. Maybe the surprise of the spring at the position is converted freshman quarterback Christian Matthews, whom Gill praised for his speed and overall athleticism. Additionally, tight end Tim Biere gives the team an All-Big 12 talent at the position.

Sophomore Kale Pick and Freshman Jordan Webb – the two frontrunners for the position – each possess different strengths. An exciting athlete, Pick is just as likely to make plays with his legs as his arm. Though as he proved in the annual Spring Game, he possesses the arm strength and accuracy to make all the throws on the field. Webb might not have ideal size, standing at maybe a hair's breadth shy of six feet tall, but he packs a serious punch in his right arm. Plus, much like Reesing before him, he has the ability to make something out of nothing when the play breaks down. Don't expect a victor to be declared in this battle until after a couple of weeks of fall camp, but the offense should be in capable hands regardless.

Defense

When freshman defensive end Kevin Young beat freshman All-American left tackle Tanner Hawkinson for a sack during the spring game, the thousands of fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium weren't disappointed – they were elated. Young is a combination of size and speed at the position that the Jayhawks haven't had since the departures of Charlton Keith and Jermial Ashley in 2005. Couple him with what should be Kansas' deepest and most talented defensive interior in recent history, and the defensive front just might have a stew going.

The linebackers were led during the spring by senior Justin Springer manning the middle of Carl Torbush's 4-3 system. Now fully healthy, Springer possesses the ideal size, athleticism and mentality for the position, and should be the rock upon which everything else in the unit is built. Huldon Tharp had a promising freshman season in 2009, and Steven Johnson drew consistent praise from Gill and Torbush during the spring.

The secondary is another matter altogether, as nowhere on the defense do more questions exist than in the backfield. Safety Lubbock Smith was a pleasant surprise in 2009, but with the departure of Stuckey to graduation and the NFL, many are wondering who will fill the other three spots. Seniors Calvin Rubles and Chris Harris look to be the favorites at corner, while super-talented freshman Prinze Kande could play alongside Smith at the other safety slot. Regardless, this group will have to grow up on the field in a hurry if the defense is to improve upon its performance in 2009.

We may not know a lot about the Jayhawks of 2010 yet, but we know this: Gill will find a way to get every last ounce of effort from the talent he has available to him.

September 4th can't get here soon enough.

Thanks to Phog.net and Senior Writer Aaron Cedeño. Make sure and visit their website for Kansas football and recruiting news. You can follow them on Twitter @PhogNet.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Its been almost four months since the 2010 NFL Draft but the wait is over. Former Gators Tim Tebow gets under contract with the Denver Broncos for a term of five years. The deal is worth about $11 million over that period, and more than $8 million of that is guaranteed. According to an ESPN report, Tebow could earn as much as $33 million over the five years.

As much hype as he received coming out of college I'm surprised that the contract wasn't worth more. After all, he was a first round pick. The city of Denver hasn't seen a media avalanche like this since John Elway back in 1983. But with Tim Tebow jerseys already being a top seller, I'm sure that he has no worries. I didn't even discuss his endorsements with EA Sports, Jockey, and Nike. Financially, the man will be alright. But on the field...

His signing leaves Demaryius Thomas, Denver's top pick, as the only unsigned member of the Broncos' draft class. As a premier receiver out of Georgia Tech, Thomas' presence will be detrimental to the Tim Tebow football development in the NFL. We shall see how that unfolds but it'll be wise for ownership to work out a deal soon. The last thing your young quarterback needs is to have his complementary wide receiver missing training camp.

The Broncos are very high on Tebow as their future. Kyle Orton, their starting QB last year, didn't even get a long term deal this off season. He signed a $2.6 million tender as a restricted free agent and the only other QB competition is Brady Quinn. You remember that Notre Dame poster boy? I have a really good feeling that Tim Tibow will be an overachiever in the NFL...regardless of what the haters may think. Congrats, Timmy. At least you didn't hold out for $50k more like some other ingrates. See you at the top.

When you combine the 99th ranked team in total defense yards allowed and the 103rd best scoring offense in the Nation what do you get? If you guessed a team that won a bowl game then you win a cookie. Iowa State gave up a lot of yards last year but ultimately did a good job keeping the other team out of the end zone as they ranked #2 in the conference (behind Nebraska) with a 66% opponent red zone conversion percentage. Iowa State has some key players back from last year but their schedule is significantly tougher with the addition of Utah, Oklahoma and Texas in back-to-back-to-back games(and Nebraska looking for revenge). We reached out to Mark Kieffer of the SB Nation blog Clone Chronicles to see what he thought about Iowa State's chances in 2010.

What are the major strengths and biggest weaknesses of the Cyclones?

Strengths: Offensive Line and Running Backs. Alexander Robinson is the biggest name in the Big 12 you may have never heard of. The guy put up nearly 1200 yards rushing last year, and did so playing a majority of the season with a groin injury.

Weaknesses: The defensive front seven. ISU is replacing their entire starting linebacking corps, and 3 starters on their defensive line too. They are going to make a talented secondary look very mediocre, as I'd expect them having problems rushing the QB, and tackling RBs in the backfield. There are two schools of thought here regarding the defensive front seven: on one hand, there's very little experience and this group will struggle greatly. On the other hand, the front seven last year was the worst in the Big 12, so how bad could it be replacing almost all of them? . I'm not sure what camp I'm in yet.

Which game on the schedule do you want to win more than any other?

K-State. I know a lot of fans will say Nebraska because this may be the last time we're playing them, but beating them in Lincoln last year (lucky or not) was pretty sweet. With K-State, I hate their team, and do not enjoy their fans either. Outside of a few glory years, they are very similar to ISU, yet those fans have this entitlement and believe that their team has some great tradition or elite quality to them. Not the case at all. On paper, these teams are even, we lost to them in the crappiest way possible last year, so it's time to beat them this year.

What team on the schedule do you fear the most?

This is a tough one. ISU plays at Iowa, at Oklahoma, and at Texas this year, along with some others. I've seen ISU pull off miracles before against Iowa, so it doesn't fear me. Oklahoma and Texas are much better, obviously, but we're expected to lose, so it's hard to really fear those games too. It may sound silly, but it might be the opener against Northern Illinois, because ISU has the most the lose. People seem to think Northern Illinois is better than Iowa State, and losing to them on the first game of the year, a Thursday night game at that, would be a horrible way to start the season. Those 3 games I mentioned above, along with Utah and Nebraska are expected losses. Win any of those, great. Lose any of them, oh well, it was expected.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

I'd say Alex Alvarez or Ben Lamaak. Both guys are on the offensive line, and naturally the O-Line gets talked about the least. These guys are big reasons why the unit was so good last year. I think the WR corps has the chance to produce some solid players, but it's hard to tell who will emerge from that group. There's a lot of athletic ability, but they have not produced to this point.

Who is the best offensive player on the team?

Alexander Robinson. Last year, he was our offense. As mentioned before, he was banged up last year. When he was healthy, the team clicked. When he was slowed, the offense slowed. The guy is explosive, can read which hole to run in, and can catch passes consistently out of the backfield.

Who is the most impactful defensive player on the team?

David Sims, the strong safety. The Big 12 coaches named him as Defensive Newcomer of the Year (He was a JUCO). He had 88 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 5 picks in 2010. Leonard Johnson, a CB is another name. He has the potential to really be a shutdown corner, and we saw offenses last year throw away from him. The guy started as a true freshmen, and is now entering his junior year. He does a lot of things that doesn't always show up on the stat sheet, like put on a hard hit, making a nice tackle, or covering his receiver well and forcing the QB to look elsewhere.

What player(s) needs to step up this year in order for the team to reach it's full capability?

QB Austen Arnaud. The guy has the ability to be good, but has been a bit of a disappointment. In the locker room he is the unquestioned leader of this team and his teammates respect him. His sophomore year, he had over 400 pass attempts, completed just over 61% of his passes, and threw 15 TDs and 10 picks. Last year, he had just over 300 pass attempts, completed only 58% of his passes, threw 14 TDs and 13 picks. The guy has been the starter for 3 years, and is entering his senior year. This is his last chance to show what he's got. From watching him, he's capable of more, but just hasn't done it. ISU fans are expecting big things from Arnaud if they want to see ISU survive this monster of a schedule.

Who is the top newcomer that can make an impact this year?

Freshmen RB Shontrelle Johnson. The guy had an offer from Florida, but chose to go to ISU. He's a 3 star recruit, but posses a lot of the same abilities as current RB Alexander Robinson. Most think Johnson is going to be the #2 guy, and will be able to spell Robinson to keep him fresh. With Robinson being slowed by injuries each of the past two seasons, having another guy in there with a similar skill set should help keep the Cyclones going, and hopefully help an overworked Robinson reduce his risk of injury

With the Big 12 losing Nebraska and Colorado would you like to see them stand pat at 10 teams or add two more teams?

I have an Econ degree, so I'm always thinking the business side of things. As long as the current TV deals are in place, I'm fine with having 10 teams. It means more money for ISU (having to split fixed amt 10 ways instead of 12). Now when the current deals expire, if adding in 2 teams helps sweeten the pot, then I'm for it. BYU, Boise State, and Arkansas are teams I wouldn't mind see in the conference.

Gut feeling on the teams final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?

ISU has one of the hardest schedules in all of college football this year, so my expectations are low. I'm thinking a 4 or 5 win season is likely. But honestly I could see anywhere from 3 to 7 wins this year. It all depends if they can get things going early, and how they respond to the stretch of Utah, @ Oklahoma, @ Texas. If that stretch kills the team spirit, I could seem them losing to Kansas and Colorado, games that I would consider toss-ups at this point.

I think a successful season is getting through this schedule respectibly. Not getting blown out too bad, and playing hard from game 1 right down to game 12. If ISU was in it with a majority of their games, I could see most ISU fans being OK with however the record shakes down. If ISU is able to get to 6 wins, and back to a bowl game, there will be no complaints out of Ames. Much easier said than done though. If their spirit is destroyed and they mail it in the second half of the season, people will be counting down for Fred Hoiberg's debut as Men's Basketball Coach.

Thanks to Mark for answering our questions and be sure to check out the SB nation Iowa State blog Clone Chronicles. You can also follow them on twitter @CloneChronicles.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Florida Gators football team is holding its third annual Gator Charity Challenge this Friday, July 30 at 7pm. The challenge consists of the 2010 Gator team taking on each other in a series of strength competitions. The fun will take place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and it is open to the public. If you plan on going, it is free and make sure that you enter through Gates 1-4 on the west concourse. Gates will open as soon as 6pm.

Last year roughly 2,500 Florida Gator fans showed up to watch the team beat up on each other in three head to head events. Not a bad turn out for a positive cause. This year will be no different as the 2010 Gators will be divided into six teams. Each one will be representing an organization related to Shands Heathcare. This is the university of Florida's health network. World renowned, and one of the best employers to work for in the Gainesville area.

Once there you will have the opportunity to pick up pledge cards on the West Concourse. Sorry Gator fans, no cash or checks will be accepted. You can only pledge through forms. Save all your cash instead for the concessions (Gate 2) and the Gator Sportshops. If in the Gainesville area come out and show your support. On that day it'll be much bigger than Gator football.

Alright, back again with some quick hitters to keep the docket clear for the beginning of fall camp (just days away!) and the continuing Marcell Dareus Saga, hopefully coming to an end not too long after that.

--Of course, I'll lead off with Marcell and say there really isn't much to say right now. There are 1,004 different "insider" stories regarding this situation out there, but the overwhelming majority are rubbish and you should be aware of that. Now that the main points of Dareus' story are out there, all that's left for news is the investigation and the ruling. Developments in both matters are being kept amongst an ultra-select few, and the ONLY reliable source from this point forward will be the University and the NCAA. I mean, I guess its not out of the question that a newspaper might break something. But no matter what he says, that dude on the message board or on the blog has no idea what's going on right now. I guess that includes me...

I will say that I feel better and better about Dareus maintaining his eligibility every day. My over/under still stands at a 3 game suspension, and I'd bet the under right now.

--Elsewhere, Bama recruiting continues to heat up again after I called for an early Fall hibernation. But at least I'm on top of this one beforehand, unlike Ryan Kelly. In fact, in the last edition of Bric-A-Brac, I mentioned that Ohio LB Trey DePriest might be making his commitment some time before the season starts. Well, after a weekend visit to Tuscaloosa with his family, DePriest has informed media outlets that he'll be announcing his commitment this Friday afternoon.

So you do the math on that.

DePriest is currently rated as a 4* prospect and the #6 player at his position in the country by Rivals.com, while Scout.com has him as a 5* guy and #3 at his position. His recruitment is being characterized as a Bama/Ohio State battle, but he's been considered a HEAVY Bama lean for a while now by most "in the know," with some even invoking the always popular "silent commitment" tag. To put it bluntly, it will be a major upset if DePriest doesn't announce that he's rolling with the Tide this Friday.

--Also in last week's edition, I took a look at the Coaches' Pre-season All-SEC team, which featured 6 Bama players on the First-Team, all of whom were juniors and redshirt sophomores from the 2008 recruiting class.

At the conclusion of SEC Media Days, the media released their own Pre-season All-SEC team, and the number of Bama players on the First-Team grew by 2, senior left tackle James Carpenter and sophomore running back Trent Richardson. The latter wasn't much of a surprise coming from the media but does create a heck of an expectation for Ingram and Richardson to live up to this season. I get the feeling it's going to be impossible for them to live up to the hype, especially if the passing game continues to develop as expected, or at least hoped.

Greg McElroy matched his Second Team coaches' pick on the media's team, and redshirt junior center William Vlachos and junior linebacker Courtney Upshaw picked up their first recognition of the year with Second Team selections. Upshaw is another, lesser known, 08er who is primed to explode this season, especially if Dareus plays.

--And more Class of 08 news! Forgive the pun, but this totally came out of left field yesterday:

I'm curious to see how this plays out. Ray was an exciting wide receiver prospect coming out of high school, and if 6'4", 205, is right, he's still pretty intriguing, but I wonder if Saban's offer to return still stands. The Bama program has come a long way in the past 2 years. The wide receiver depth chart is loaded right now, and the Tide already has 4 receiver commitments in the '11 class (Marvin Shinn, Danny Woodson, Bradley Sylve, and Daryl Collins), as well as a few more high profile, very interested targets at the position. Is there really room for a guy who's been away from the game for 2 years? Even if he is 6'4", 205?

You'd assume the family already consulted with the Alabama coaching staff before going public with this in order to prevent any possible embarrassment, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

And, lest we forget, Ray wasn't the only member of the 08 class to go the pro baseball route. Fellow wide receiver prospect Destin Hood was drafted in the 2nd round by the Nationals that same year. He's finally worked his way up to Single A ball where he currently bats .283 and is considered one of the top prospects in the organization. So don't count on him coming back any time soon.

--There's definitely a story on the Class of 08 coming some time before the season starts. Despite the fact that those guys already have championships to their credit, this is really their year. More so than even last season, their play is going to define 2010's place in Bama history.

--Finally, I found this awesome Youtube highlight package for the Top 100 Plays of the 2009 Season, created by this person or persons called YellowHammerPro. It's really well produced. As of now, only plays 100 to 81 are up, but I'll try to keep you guys up to date as new additions are released.

With this being the bottom end of the list, there are a lot more good hustle and "effort" plays than spectacular ones here, like the first two Richardson plays, and there are exactly 2 more Cory Reamer highlights than you'd expect, but it's all cool stuff. Marcell Dareus is well represented in the early going with 2 clips of him destroying people, which is either really exciting or really depressing, depending on your level of optimism. My favorite is probably #91. Not only does it feature a phenomenal two-for-one block by the underrated Marquis Maze to spring Ingram for a touchdown, it also has a classic Verne Lundquist blunder where he credits said block to defensive end "Lionel Washington," who was neither on the field nor named "Lionel."

The Hoosiers have only been to 1 bowl (2007 Insight Bowl) since 1993 and unfortunately things don't look great for their chances this year. Offensively they are in decent shape returning 8 starters to an offense that has a chance to be in the top half of the conference from a statistical standpoint. On the defensive side of the football Indiana returns only 4 starters from a group that struggled last year. Indiana also faces a tough Big 10 schedule which includes only 3 home games and they catch all of the big teams (at Ohio State, at Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State in Landover). And their bye week comes after their first week game against Townson. We turned to someone with better knowledge of Indiana football, John from the SB Nation Indiana Hoosiers blog Crimson Quarry.

What are the major strengths and biggest weaknesses of the team?

The obvious strength of this team is at the offensive skill positions. Quarterback Ben Chappell is very experienced, and receivers Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher, along with running back Darius Willis, are among the most talented players IU has had at those positions in recent years. The major question mark for IU will be on defense. IU lost two of its best defensive ends of all time and is replacing several starters.

Looking at the schedule who will be the first major test?

Before the Big Ten opener, IU plays FCS team Towson, recent FBS entrant Western Kentucky, and Akron, a MAC school that fired its coach after last season. I hope that the Big Ten opener against Michigan is the first major test, because if any of the first three games are difficult, this could be a long season. Michigan's struggles over the last two seasons are well-documented, and last year at Ann Arbor, IU led in the fourth quarter and came close to winning at the Big House for the first time since 1967. The IU athletic department seems to be making every effort, through publicity and ticket promotions, to fill Memorial Stadium for this game. While the Wolverines haven't been very good under Rich Rodriguez, they still have significant talent, and the opportunity to beat Michigan (for the first time since 1987) makes this a key game.

What team on the schedule do you fear the most?

This isn't a novel thought, but Ohio State is the most dangerous team on IU's schedule. IU's last win against OSU was in 1988, and IU hasn't even been able to stay within 10 points of the buckeyes since 1996. I can imagine IU competing in any of the other games on the schedule, but it's hard to imagine, even if IU is much better than in 2009, that IU will put up much of a fight in Columbus.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

Since offensive lineman rarely get much publicity, I'll mention sophomore center Will Matte. Matte, as a redshirt freshman in 2009, started all 12 games at center on a line that excelled at pass protection. Matte and his linemates will have to improve their run-blocking, but Matte is a promising talent and who played admirably at a crucial position.

Who is the best offensive player on the team?

Junior WR Tandon Doss ranked in the nation's top 30 in receiving yards and receptions last year. Many others, including QB Ben Chappell, RB Darius Willis, and WR Damarlo Belcher are key to the IU offense, but Doss probably was the most impressive last year.

Who is the most impactful defensive player on the team?

IU's defense loses most of its starters, but Adam Replogle, who was the only true freshman to play last year, started 11 games at defensive tackle and had four sacks.

What player(s) needs to step up this year in order for the team to reach it's full capability?

Ben Chappell. IU's defense, given its losses to graduation, will struggle, and IU will have to excel on offense to have a winning season. Chappell improved in his first full season as a starter, improving his completion percentage to 62 percent from 52 percent, but he threw 15 interceptions to only 17 touchdown passes.

Who is the top offensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

Redshirt freshman WR Duwyce Wilson was Indiana's Mr. Football in 2008 and was one of IU's more acclaimed recruits of recent years. Even considering the returning talent at WR, the hope is that he will stand out.

Who is the top defensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

Defensive back Lawrence Barnett was IU's highest-rated defensive recruit of the 2009 class. He missed most of his senior year in high school with an ankle injury and had surgery on his wrist following spring practice, but if he is healthy he seems likely to see the field quite a bit. IU's highest-rated 2010 recruit is linebacker Ishmael Thomas, but the current IU staff has attempted to redshirt freshmen as much as possible.

Billy Lynch has been on the job for 3 years. His best success came in year one when he went 7-6 and took the team to a bowl. Since then Indiana has had back to back 1-7 Conference records. How much pressure is he under to win? What does he need to improve and how much improvement does he need the team to show to ensure he is still the coach?

No one really knows. IU athletic director Fred Glass has been on the job for 18 months, but he's never been an athletic director before and hasn't fired or hired a coach in a revenue sport (although he did fire men's soccer coach Mike Freitag, and soccer is a big deal at IU). He has been supportive of Lynch, and Lynch's recruiting has been reasonably good, but at some point he will have to do better in Big Ten play. I tend to think that 6-6 will be good enough for him to keep his job. Given the laydown nonconference schedule, even an "improved" 5-7 record probably would include another 1-7 record in Big Ten play. IU fans are nearly unanimous in liking Lynch and hoping that he is the guy, but his overall record, both at IU and and Ball State, is cause for pessimism. In each case, he took over a program in good shape than then declined.

Gut feeling on the teams final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?

My gut feeling is that IU will find a way to 6-6 and a Motor City Bowl berth. I would be content with any record that gives IU its second bowl bid in the last 17 years, but I would require a 7-5 record to truly consider 2010 a successful season.

Thanks to John for taking time out of his schedule to answer our questions. Make sure to visit The Crimson Quarry and you can also follow them on twitter @crimsonquarry.

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